Thermostatic electric switch



.June 26, 1928. v 1,675,138

H. J. SAUVAGE THERMSTATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 5l, 1927 .lune 26,1928. 1,615,138

" H. J. SAUVAGE THERMOSTATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH Fired Jan. :51, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 2 wil/11111111 nlm Patented June 26K, 1928.

UNITED- sTATi-:s

l 1,615,138 PATENT oF'FlcEj.

HERBERT J". SAUVAGE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO '.IIRUS'JBEESy OF THE ELEO- TRO THEBMOSTATIC'CONTBOL COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,.ILLINOIS, A TRUST ESTATE.

THEBMOSTATIC ELECTRIC SWITCH.

i Application led January, 31, 1927. Serial No. 184,761.

My invention relates to electric-switches thermostatically or temperature` controlled, -with suitable Ameans for varying the adjustment thereof, whereby the switch will be operated at different prevailing temperatures., j

More specifically, the appliance may be set towork at one temperature during the day and at another temperature during the night, an appropriately-constructed clock automatically shifting or regulating the temperature-controlling means, at least in art.

To enable those skilled in this art to ully understand the invention and the numerous advantages'accruing from its employment, in the accompanying drawings, orming a art of this specification, av present, preerred embodimentl of the invention has been depicted in detail, and, for simplicity,

like reference characters have been employed for the same parts throughout the several views.

In these drawings,- Y

Fig. 1 is a face view or front elevation of the complete appliance;

Fig, 2 is a longitudinal section, on a'n enlarged scale, throu h the casing or housing of the structure, withf the clock omitted and -with some portions of the A structure in section; Y v

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the upper portion of the construction as'shown in Fig. 2, with the parts in different sitions;

Fig. 4 is a partial, longitu inal, vertical a5 rsection throu h the appliance, on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, van on an e arged scale; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section on line 5--p5fof Fig.4; an

Fig. Gis a horizontalsection on line 6- 6 ofFig.2. v

By reference to these drawings, it will-be noted that the device includes a base-plate 11 of the general form of the perimeter of f the illustration in Fig. 2. Mounted on this main supportor back plate, `by suitable screws or otherwise, there is another supporting plate 12, of irregular shape or form, having a forwardly-pro ecting, horizontal ledge or shelf 13, on w ch the lowerv end wall of a hollow bellows,-

memberll is ixedly mounted. o

Such member 14 is within a movable yoke 15, lagainst the upper, inner wall of which .the top end or head of the bellows-member bears, so'that as the latter expands, under the influence of heat, it will carry the yoke upwardly, as will be readily understood, the extent of upward travel of the yoke being limited by the lower `wall thereof coming Yinto contact with the under surface of the support 13.

The oke at its top is supplied with an upstan ing lug or finger 16 designed and adapted to 'co-operate with a split, metallic saddle 17 fulcrumed on the plate 12 at 18 and having a hollow glass-vessel 19 fixedly clamped therein and oscillatory or rockable therewith, such part 19 having a pair of internal electric-contacts 21 and 22 connected outside of .theoscillatory lass-member with properly-insulated, electric conductors or leads 23 and-24, a small body of mercury 2 5 within the glass-vessel being adapted to make and break the' contact lbetween the terminals 21 and 22 as the vessel 19 is rocked in the one direction or the other.

Inasmuch as this electric-switch is hingedly mounted or fulcruined at one side of its center of gravity, it tends to rock down, if permitted to'do so bythe bellows member, so that the mercury makes the contact between the two terminals, but as the bellows member expands the vessel will be tilted in the opposite direction, causin the mercury to How down quickly away om,`

Vand hence breaking its connection with, the

pair of contacts.

A coiled, contractile sprin 26 is connected to the lower portion o the movable yoke at 27, and at its bottom end it is connected to a nut 28 carrying on its outer face an index plate 29 adapted to display temperature numerals, according to the adjustments of the parts, through the window or opening 31 in the front wall of the casing or housing 32, the latter, for convenience,

being also supplied with a glass thermometer 33 yon its outer face.

v To prevent the nut 28 from turniii and to keep the plate 29 properlyv positioned, they are provided with a rearwardly-extended arm or plate 34, the rear end of which travels inand is guided by an upright slot of theproper width in the plate 12.

A screw-threaded shaft 35V extends through' the threaded o ening of the nut 28, and its cylindricaL-re need-diameter part 36 is capablo of turning in a. bea-ring 37 properly mounted in a forwardly-projecting bracketportion 38 of the plate- 12, the lower end of such screw member 35, 36 having below thev bottom of the housing 32 a knurled head or linger piece 39 by means of which the screw may be turned to adjust the tension of the spring 26, and thus vary the temperature at which the electric-switch will be operated.

At each of its vertical sides the yoke 15' levers or arms 45 downwardly, the movehavin ments of rsuch members in this direction being limited by cross pins 40, 40 connecting together parts of the yoke-frame.

It will be apparent, therefore, thatwhen such parts bear on the pins 40 by reason of the action of their springs 41, the latter perform no otherwise useful function.

These two springs, however, are provided for the purpose, under certain circumstances, of counteracting in part the downward pulling action of the spring 26 on the yoke so that the thermostatic element 14 will operate the switch; that is, open the electric circuit, at a lower temperature thanwhen the spring 26 exerts its full strength on the yoke, the springs 41 being then inoperative.

In order that such supplemental or auxiliary springs 41 may be thrown into and out of action, the following co-operating instrumentalities have been provided:

The plate' 12 has forwardly-projecting, parallel flanges 47, 47 along its upright margins, fand between. and 'guided by these I provide a vertically-slidable frame48 having a pair of outstanding lugs or fingers 49, 49 below and adapted to co-operate with and lift the pair of hinged arms or levers 45, 45 under certain conditions.-

- Such slidable frame 48 is yieldingly pulled downwardly by a small spring 51 connec ed thereto at 52 and joined to a pin 53 moun d on the plate 12. f

The upper end ofthe element 48 is connected by a link .54 to the short arm of a bell-crank lever 55 fulcrumed on the plate 12 at the point 56, the end of the long arm of the part 55 having a pin 57 which projects'.

forwardly andalso rearwardly from` the .member o 55,` such latter portion of the pin being located in a slot in the bell-crank lever 58, fulcrumed onthe base-plate 11 at 59 and an extension `or finger plece tende outwardly through a slot inthe circular housing at the top part of the ap- .ated with this multi-arm lever tending to rock it in a clockwise direction, its extent of movement being limited, however, by the pin 57, which either occupies the notch 67 or is directly below the lower edge of thc arm 63, which rests thereon as presented in Fig. 3.

A shaft of the clock 68, at .its rear face, carries a cam-disk 69 angularly adjustable on the shaft to vary its time or moment of operative action, the shaft making one completerevolution for each twenty-four hours. The cam projectin 71 of disk 69 is positioned and adapted to co-operate with the lug or finger 66, and, during the movement of the cam 69 in a clockwise direction, rocking the three-armed lever in a counter-clockwise way.

We will assume that it is desired to have the temperature controlled so that the room in which the appliance is mounted will be eated, by the heating mechanism controlled n'iiiintained at a temperature of seventy degrees during the daytime and at -a temperature of fifty degrees during the night.

Accordingly, during the daytime the parts will occupy the position shown in Fig. 3 corresponding to the inactive condition of the springs 41, because then the frame 48 is in its lowered relation.

The full tension of the spring 26 'is then operative on the yoke and the associated bellows-member, so that it requires a greater pressure within the part 14, which accommodates any suitable volatile material, to rook the electric-switch to open the circuit `controllingthe heating mechanism.

When evening arrives and it is desired to have the temperature lowered, the clock is wound up and its cam mechanism set for the desired time of release, the disk 69 then occupying the position presented in Fig. 2.\

The arm 58 is shifted upwardly, by its finger piece 61, from the position shown in Fig. y3 to that indicated in Fig. 2, the pin 57 being received in the notch 6 so that the arm 58 is maintained locked in this elevated relation, it being obvious that the lug 66 is in the path of travel of the ca'mprojection 71.

The. upward movement of arm 58 shifts gers 49 in thesame direction, their upward 61 ex- 1travel lifting the arms or levers 45 off of the thermostatic electric-switch, and

their pins 40, so that the parts 49 constitute fixed abutments for the upper ends of the two springs 41, which thereupon exert a united lifting action on the oke 15, which is less, however, than the ownward pull of the spring 48 on the yoke. l

Stated somewhat differently, the springs 41 in this condition neutralize the action of spring 46 in part, so that the bellows member can expand more readily and open the electric-switch at the lower temperature of fifty degrees. l

This condition will continue until the cam projection 7l rocks the lever 62, 63, 64 in a counter-clockwise direction, releasing the pin 57 and permitting the frame 48 and its fingersl 49 to descend under the downward pulling action of the spring 51, thereby again restoring the springs 41 to'inactive condition by. reason of the movement of the fingers 49 downwardly away from the arms orlevers 45.

.From then on the appliance will operate autoniatically to maintain a temperature of seventy degrees until the device is again reset to cause a temperature of fifty degrees to prevail, all as will be readily understood.

The invention is not limited and restricted to the precise and exactdetails of structure presented, and these may be modified more or less radically without departure from the principles of the invention, the latter being defined by the appended claims.`

I claim:

l. The combination of a thermostatic bellows-member, an electric-switch actuated by said member, a spring resisting action of said member, means adapted to counteract in part the action of said spring, and means "to render said counteractingmeans opera.-

tive and inoperative.

2. The combination of a thermostat-1c bellows-member, an electric-switch actuated` ative andinoperative.

3; The' combination 0f a thermostatic bellows-member, an electric-switch actuated by said member, a sprin resisting the expanding action of sai member, means adapted to counteract in part the action of said spring, manual means to render said counteracting means operative, and clockoperated means to restore said counteracting means to' inoperative condition.

4. The combination of a thermostat-ic bellows-member, an electric-switch actuated by said member, a spring resisting the expanding action of said member, spring means adapted to counteract in part the action of said spring, manual ,means to render said counteracting spring means operative, and clock-operatedv means to restore said counteracting spring means to inoperative condition. I

5. The combination of a yoke, a thermostatic bellows-member in an operating said yoke, an electric-switch actuated by the movements of said yoke, a spring resisting the movements of said oke occasioned by thel expansion. of saidV bellows-member, spring means adapted to act on said yoke in opposition to the action of said spring thereon, manual means to render said spring means operative, and clock-operated means to restore said spring means to inoperative condition at a predetermined adjustable time.

6. The combination of a oke, a thermo-` static bellows-member in and1 operating said yoke, an electric-switch actuated by the movements of said oke, a spring resisting the movements of said yoke due to the expansion of said bellows-member, spring means ada ted to act on said yoke in opposition to t e action of said spring thereon, manual means to hold said spring means operative against its tendency to return'to inoperative condition, means to lock said manual means 'with said spring means in such operative condition, and clock-operated means to release said lock.

In witnesswhereof I have hereunto set m hand.

y s HERBERT J. SAUVAGE. 

